An ongoing need exists to manage access for parties involved in the occupation and operation of multi-unit buildings. Access management can have significant implications, for example, on overall security, legal liability, and personal comfort. Security of multi-unit buildings is an important and complicated issue, specifically the management of keys that can grant access to building units and common spaces. Each individual unit in the building can have different access control requirements and occupants or other individuals related to operations and maintenance of these buildings may periodically need to access different facilities within a building to perform particular functions, for example, package delivery or cleaning.
Over time, a variety of systems have emerged to help manage these types of environments. Prior art physical key management systems, while effective when operated properly, can be costly and unwieldy for the majority of users. For example, the installation cost can be high, as well as the cost and time associated with training employees on the system. In addition, high ongoing costs associated with maintenance and poor adherence to the system policies can render those systems ineffective.
Other prior art systems provide digital access control management through radio frequency identification (RFID) or other types of magnetic or electronic keys that are centrally controlled by a management interface. Such prior art systems allow door control and management to take place from a central server, while users can authenticate and get access through the use of “numeric keypads” and “card readers” on-site. These systems require locally-deployed management hardware, which creates security risks. For example, numeric keypads often become insecure when numeric codes are shared between authorized and non-authorized parties as a form of convenience.
Using biometric identifiers for authentication purposes is an alternative to access control PIN codes or badges. However, the use of biometric locks can be hard to administer in a multi-unit context. For example, it can be complicated to collect biometric data, such as, fingerprints, and store and program them into the access control system. Moreover, because of the extra security requirements associated with storage of sensitive biometric data, the storage of biometric data can be cost-prohibitive for typical building owners. In addition, users may become uncomfortable when they are required to provide biometric data for authentication and storage.
Other prior art systems utilize mobile phones or other mobile devices as physical identifiers for single-owner buildings or single units. These systems allow a user's mobile phone to serve as an authenticating identifier when interacting with access control systems through either a network connection or a locally transmitted radio frequency connection. The systems that utilize mobile devices often require a persistent internet connection to operate, which may be suitable for single-owner buildings. However, this can become rather problematic for multi-unit buildings.
Bluetooth is another communication standard employed in some prior art systems to provide tracking suitable for following users inside a defined space using a Bluetooth-enabled device. However, in those systems, Bluetooth communication is merely used to track a user to create a timeline of activity for the user through silent and imperceptible handshakes between a user's device and hardware installed within a geographic area. Other prior art systems utilize Bluetooth technology to distribute and manage keys, however they require that access control points be centrally updated with new information to update new keys and users being added to the system. Finally, other Bluetooth-enabled prior art systems use rotating authentication credentials that don't require updates from a central server; however, they have security risks.
Accordingly, there is a need for a secure access management system for multi-unit buildings that can control the interactions between occupants, guests, service providers, and building owners that is not provided by existing prior art systems.